Review: All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

Welcome to dinner, and again, congratulations on being selected. Now you must do the selecting.

What do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner, only to discover it’s a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill … or else everyone dies.

Amber Prescott is determined to get her classmates and herself out of the room alive, but that might be easier said than done. No one knows how they’re all connected or who would want them dead. As they retrace the events over the past year that might have triggered their captor’s ultimatum, it becomes clear that everyone is hiding something. And with the clock ticking down, confusion turns into fear, and fear morphs into panic as they race to answer the biggest question: Who will they choose to die?

All of the comparisons for this book seem to mention One of Us is Lying, which unfortunately I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading (though it is sitting high up on my TBR), so I can't speak for that.

What I can say is that All Your Twisted Secrets just did not hit the mark for me. It started out super engaging, and to start with I was super interested in the plot. High stakes, mysteries, a complete sense of panic... it was so exciting for me and I couldn't wait to see how the characters were going to deal with the situation they found themselves in.

However as the story continued on, my interest in any of the characters and also their safety and fate just... waned? 

The problem with books like this is that they are hit and miss. You have to have really interesting characters and you need to care about them. You need to build 3-D personalities so that you can see the good and the bad in everyone, otherwise you don't care about the 'mean kid' or the 'popular kid' and you do care about the 'nerd' and the 'good girl'. It also means that any plot twists don't seem too out of character. This book also had the added issue that the present day story took place in a locked room so it relied so much on dialogue and character interactions, and yet it still erred on the side of 'telling' and not 'showing'. 

If the interactions had been richer and the characters had been less stereotypes and more real, this book would have held my interest until the end and thus the ending would have hit me harder and made me go 'wow', but unfortunately it just didn't land for me. 

It was a good enough time killer, but I can't say I would recommend it to anyone unless they were looking for a very specific type of book and even then, there are gritty, thrilling contemporary books that I would recommend over this one anyway.

Book released  17th March 2020 by HarperTeen

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Speed of Falling Objects by Nancy Richardson Fischer

Danger "Danny" Danielle Warren is no stranger to falling. After losing an eye in a childhood accident, she had to relearn her perception of movement and space. Now Danny keeps her head down, studies hard, and works to fulfill everyone else's needs. She's certain that her mom's bitterness and her TV star father's absence are her fault. If only she were more―more athletic, charismatic, attractive―life would be perfect.

When her dad calls with an offer to join him to film the next episode of his popular survivalist show, Danny jumps at the chance to prove she's not the disappointment he left behind. Being on set with the hottest teen movie idol of the moment, Gus Price, should be the cherry on top. But when their small plane crashes in the Amazon, and a terrible secret is revealed, Danny must face the truth about the parent she worships and falling for Gus, and find her own inner strength and worth to light the way home.

If I landed in a deserted island or rainforest or anywhere away from civilisation, I wouldn't survive a day. I am simply not the survivey type. Still, I really enjoy reading survival books and stories of survival against the odds and watching survival documentaries. So this book was right up my alley.

I actually for the most part thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and the stakes were really high so I was gripped throughout all of the action. I could totally imagine all of the action in my mind's eye and this book was pretty un-put-down-able.

That being said, whilst the plot and the action was high stakes and gripping, I have some issues with the characterisation. Danny is a real to life character in so many ways - just constantly battling with a need to be seen - by her Dad, by Gus, by the people in her life - but it did step into areas of overly needy. The other thing is that Danny has a slight disability - she is half-blind - but I felt that the overlying aim of the story was for her to 'beat' the disability, not to come to terms with it. it's a fine line, but I think the author just crossed it. It's written as something that she needs to beat - like something that can only hold her back - not something that she just needs to make her own.

I hated Cougar - Danny's dad - he was selfish and didn't take time to think about his daughter and the only moments of love he had for her come just to late for me to care. I think Danny was used by everyone in the story and whilst I get that the author was trying to make it look like Danny had to learn to be her own support, it just seamed like the poor girl got abused and used left, right and center.

Still, as I said, I really did enjoy this book and it really was a page turner. I think the issues that I stated are preference more than poor writing and planning, so I can't really judge it too much for that. If I hadn't just finished 'Be Not Far From Me' by Mindy McGinnis - another survival YA book which blew me away - I might rate this half a score higher, but in comparison this one just pales a teeny bit, so that is why the rating reflects that.

Book released 1st October 2018 by Inkyard Press

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. 

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it. 

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

Lauren Oliver has written some brilliant books - I really enjoyed Delirium, though the rest of the series wasn't great. Panic was really enjoyable as well - I think standalones are Oliver's strong point. Broken Things cemented that for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect from that blurb - I didn't know if this was a thriller or a mystery or a fantasy what, I didn't really know what was going to happen at all. I really enjoyed the direction that this book took. 

The strength of this book was the characterisation. We start off with this 2D idea of who Brynn, Mia and Summer were - of who Mia and Brynn now are, and over the course of the 'then' and 'now' part of the books we realise that Summer wasn't the pretty perfect princess, and was actually troubled and very toxic. We realise how she hurt Mia in their own ways, and we come to terms with what happened to her and by the end I didn't even mourn for her any more.

The main issue that I had with this book was that the snippets of the source material - The Way Into Lovelorn, and the fanfiction written by the girls, Return to Lovelorn got very samey. For material that inspired madness, it wasn't particularly inspiring. It felt like a plot hole, in a way.

Everything also tied up very nicely, like wrapped in a little ribbon as well. It was all a little too neat and convenient - the plot was great, just a little... too neat.

Overall, I did enjoy Broken Things - it was enjoyable. I did feel at times a little underwhelmed by the material and some of the snippets in the book but in the end I was hooked into it.

Book released 2nd October 2018 by HarperCollins

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Dial Em for Murder by Marni Bates

Sixteen-year-old Emmy Danvers was just trying to write a halfway decent romance novel when a senile old man mumbled a cryptic warning, tackled her to the ground in the middle of Starbucks, and...died right on top of her.

Unfortunately for Emmy, the incident wasn't quite as random as she thought, and it turns out that the old man might have taken a bullet for her. Not only that, he slipped something into her pocket: a digital tablet containing secrets that she has no idea how to unlock, but that others are ready to kill for. Thrust into a world where nothing is as it seems, Emmy must try to track down her absentee father, deal with a flirtatious bad boy who may or may not be on her side, and, oh yeah, stay one step ahead of the killers lurking in the shadows of an exclusive prep school. The old man's parting advice to "trust nobody" doesn't sound so crazy after all....

Dial Em for Murder really didn't hit the mark for me.

I was confused by the plot, the mystery wasn't mysterious and the big reveal wasn't interesting but that wasn't the worst of it.

The worst of it was Emmy as a whole. She was so obsessed with the boy she liked and her father that she seemed totally unfazed by everything else that was going on in the book and it just didn't ring true for me. I didn't like her voice and she was just a walking cliche.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed this book, but admittedly I skimmed the second half of the book.

Book released 4th November 2016 by Simon Pulse

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Stranger Game by Cylin Busby

When Nico Walker's older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah's daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She's thin and drawn, where Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah's retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she's been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . . .

This book is completely a mystery, but also not even a mystery.

I've Wikipedia hopped enough to know how this story was going to end. Still, the suspense and the atmosphere was enough to keep me reading, and the snippets of Sarah's story made me feel even more engrossed in the story. this was a book that could have felt pushy or cluttered or messy but it was so completely clear and well written.

I loved the emotions through this book. Nico is broken and guilty at the way she feels and Sarah is mysterious but their relationship grows and they get this bond that it sort of makes your heart hurt when answers start coming in and the story stitches itself together. 

And despite the fact that this is a book which covers some pretty heavy topics, it never felt overly forced or limiting. This isn't an issue book, trying to make some statement that comes across as convoluted or overly flowered up, this is a suspenseful mystery book that keeps readers guessing even when they know where it's going.

Overall, The Stranger Game was a suspenseful and emotional read that kept me gripped all the way through. Cylin Busby has impressed me before, now she is impressing me again.

Book released 25th October 2016 by Balzer and Bray

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

Oh gosh. This book... 

It was absolutely breathtakingly amazing. I have been putting it off because it's quite dark and I wasn't entirely sure whether it was my bag, especially as Mindy McGinnis hasn't really impressed me much before. I picked it up after reading a brilliant review and it just blew me away.

This book isn't a book that has been written solely to entertain - it's a book that makes you think, that makes you doubt the way you think about killers and vengeance and motives. It was so well written. Alex was such an unbelievably well written character - she was layered, a tough nut with a soft nougat centre, but rather than just being the tough girl in most YA books she takes a completely different form. I loved that.

Jack and Peekay were also brilliant as supporting characters, their reactions are realistic and they are extremely integral to the way the story develops, and their relationships with alex are really important in giving this cold girl some humanity. Also important was the job at the vetinarians that Alex takes. McGinnis really thought through how to develop this plot and this character and whats more, she executed it extremely well as well.

I kept myself guessing all the way through about how this book was going to end. None of the endings I clould make up felt 'right', but the way Mindy McGinnis finished the book just worked perfectly for me. It was just... touching and perfect.

Overall, The Female of the Species was a wonderful, perfectly written book which absolutely blew me away and made me step back and think about a lot of things. Think Dexter, for the YA audience.

Book released September 20th 2016 by Katherine Tegen

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger

Deep in the forest, four friends gather for a weekend of fun.

Truth #1: Rob is thrilled about the weekend trip. It’s the perfect time for him to break out of his shell…to be the person he really, really wants to be.

Truth #2: Liam, Rob’s boyfriend, is nothing short of perfect. He’s everything Rob could have wanted. They’re perfect together. Perfect.

Truth #3: Mia has been Liam’s best friend for years…long before Rob came along. They get each other in a way Rob could never, will never, understand.

Truth #4: Galen, Mia’s boyfriend, is sweet, handsome, and incredibly charming. He’s the definition of a Golden Boy…even with the secrets up his sleeve.

One of these truths is a lie…and not everyone will live to find out which one it is.

This isn't usually the type of book I would read, it sounds okay from the blurb but I'm not a massive horror fan. Considering that I really enjoyed The Elephant of Surprise a few years ago when Hartinger contacted me for review, I decided to give it a go.

The first thing that I have to say is that Three Truths and a Lie kept my interest from start until finish - from the first scene in the tattoo parlor to the absolutely final scene, I was hooked. I was hooked on Mia and Galen and Rob and Liam and the dynamics of their friendship, and from when the book started to get more atmospheric, I expected the characters too as well. I just don't feel like they developed as well as I had hoped and it's hard to care about a characters wellbeing when you don't really care.

That being said, I was still completely absorbed into the mystery of this book and the storyline.  I had no idea where it was going but that didn't stop me from guessing, however I do have to mention that the ending whilst shocking didn't really have as much impact as I had been hoping. Personally, I know that Hartinger can write extremely well, but I don't think this book shows the best of him - I think the ending seemed a bit knocked on and gimmicky and it would have done better if it showed through a bit more.

All being said, I still enjoyed this book and I was still hooked from start to finish. I think some bits could have been executed better and some characters developed more, but I still would recommend this to someone wanting something atmospheric and dark to read.

Book released 2nd August 2016 by Simon Pulse

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: With Malice by Eileen Cook

Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She discovers she was involved in a fatal car accident while on a school trip in Italy. A trip she doesn’t even remember taking. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident…wasn’t an accident.

As the accident makes national headlines, Jill finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. It doesn’t help that the media is portraying her as a sociopath who killed her bubbly best friend, Simone, in a jealous rage. With the evidence mounting against her, there’s only one thing Jill knows for sure: She would never hurt Simone. But what really happened? Questioning who she can trust and what she’s capable of, Jill desperately tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.

Wow, this was such a total shocker for me. I totally was not expecting to enjoy With Malice as much as I did, it was such a highly entertaining read which threw so many theories into the loop before throwing one of the best endings I've read in a long time at me. I absolutely couldn't believe the way that it ended and I loved it.

This is a book about Jill who has been in an accident in Italy and can't remember any of the accident or the weeks before it -  all she knows is that she crashed her car and her best friend, Simone, died in the accident. All she knows is that everyone thinks she killed Simone deliberately and the facts don't really help her case. You'd think this book would be full of flashbacks, but the image of what happened is created by conflicting interviews, news reports and blog posts, each with their own opinions. This is just as much about how the media can bend how a suspect is seen by the public as much as what really happens.

I did feel a bit detached from the actual crime because we never actual met Simone or Nico or Jill as she was before the accident, and this book really takes the cake on the whole unreliable narrators thing. I lived all of the theories thrown around, I genuinely had no idea how the book would end but it also didn't seem random or unplanned, it just worked for me, the whole book did, actually.

Book released June 7th by HMH Books for Young Readers

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough

I was dead for 13 minutes.

I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal.

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it?

Lately I've been super into mystery style contemp books and when I saw 13 Minutes I just knew that I needed to read it. This book only took me a few hours to get through because I barely put it down the whole time I was reading it. I was so gripped and there was no way I was going to get distracted before I found out what happened to Natasha.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that the plot itself was this big mystery with loads of twists and turns and secrets, but the characters are pretty much relateable - there are the popular kids who sneer and whisper but have their own vulnerabilities (like Natasha), then there are the kids that have smaller friendship groups (like Becca) but still can be happy that they have a few people, then there are the really lonely kids with just one or two friends who act as the laughing stock (like Hannah), the kids who nobody really notices until they aren't there anymore. The characters themselves really worked and they carried a story which may seem a little bit... insane... otherwise.

This is quite a twisty book as well - just when you think you have figured everything out there's a curveball thrown and you don't know who to trust and who to blame. It was extremely well executed and despite a few small failings with regards to inconsistencies the ending seemed really justified. I can't say much more than that, but it was good.

Sarah Pinborough is clearly a great author as well. She wrote a brilliant story and great characters and the writing itself was really good, she really got me absorbed in the story and it was very well done.

Overall, 13 Minutes was a very well written, twisty story. I hesitate to make any comparisons normally, but I can definitely say that this is like Mean Girls meets The Heathers meets Gone Girl. A brilliant book that I really did enjoy. 

Book released July 14th 2016 by Gollancz.

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

The city of Verity has been overrun with monsters, born from the worst of human evil. In North Verity, the Corsai and the Malchai run free. Under the rule of Callum Harker, the monsters kill any human who has not paid for protection. In the South, Henry Flynn hunts the monsters who cross the border into his territory, aided by the most dangerous and darkest monsters of them all—the Sunai, dark creatures who use music to steal their victim’s souls.

As one of only three Sunai in existence, August Flynn has always wanted to play a bigger role in the war between the north and the south. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate Harker, daughter of the leader of North Verity, August jumps on it.
When Kate discovers August’s secret, the pair find themselves running for their lives and battling monsters from both sides of the wall. As the city dissolves into chaos, it’s up to them to foster a peace between monsters and humans.

It's rare that I have to make notes whilst reading a book but I actually found it necessary whilst reading This Savage Song because I had so many thoughts going through my head throughout! Looking back, my notes are pretty illegible and incomprehensible. I think that's probably a good thing.

This Savage Song is the first book by Schwab that I've read. I know, that's pretty much sacrilege for a YA blogger, especially one that's been blogging as long as me (6 years this summer), but I guess I just never got round to it. I regret that, because This Savage Song  was one of the most well formed that I have ever read. The world building, the characters, the messages included - it was so well done.

I loved the blurred lines that Schwab creates: To start with we are told that monsters are monsters and humans are good, but then we are brought to question this outlook when we meet August. This was a well done plot point and runs through the entirity of this book. I love it when things are introduced as black and white then the reader sees the grey space. 

What really stood out to me was the love story, or the lack of one. I was expecting a Romeo and Juliet impossible love sort of thing. The romance was there, in the tiniest of hints, but it wasn't a central point of the book - in fact, it's very nearly not there at all. This was refreshing, especially since August and Kate were brilliant characters in their own ways and they didn't need anything to distract from that.

If I had anything to knock in this book, it's that the information is fed to us very slowly and as a result I felt at stages that I had no clue what was going on. i hate info-dumping, but it may have been a little necessary at points in this book. Still, if you can't already tell, I loved this book and really can't complain about much in it...

Book released 7th June 2016 by Greenwillow Books

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: In Place of Never by Julie Anne Lindsey

Can the truth set her free?…

A part of Mercy died the summer her sister tragically drowned. Now Mercy has a chance to discover if Faith’s death was an accident—or murder. Her first step is to confront the lead suspects: a band of traveling gypsies—the last people who saw her sister alive. But Mercy finds an unexpected ally in Cross, the soulful musician in their ranks. He’s a kindred spirit, someone who sees into her heart for the first time in, well, forever. Yet stirring up the past puts Mercy in danger…

Suddenly someone is shadowing Mercy’s every move, making her even more determined to uncover the facts. With Cross by her side, she is ready to face it all, even if that means opening up to him, knowing he may one day leave her. What she discovers is a truth that rocks the foundation of her small river town—and a love worth risking everything for…

In Place of Never was such an exciting read, with so many different things going on in it that sometimes it felt a little overwhelming. I loved the crime/mystery aspect and the way that it branched out and was resolved and all of the suspects had their motives, It was a really well-written, well-established mystery-thriller and I enjoyed it much more than I expected.

I did feel like Mercy rushed into things. Getting involved with Cross, who clearly was part of the group of people that her own father is responsible for her sister's death. Sure, Cross wasn't even part of the troupe in the time of Faith's death but still! I mean, of course everything turned out well but why did she feel this urge to find answers two years later - chasing up people who might hhave put it all behind them. Is that fair?

I also felt like Julie Anne Lindsey was trying to hard to put loads of different things into this book. The preacher dad, the circus troupe, the gypsy mysteries, the drowning, the stalker - it all seemed a little bit too much at times and things didn't tie together as well as they might have if all the stuff had been cut down.

Overall, this was a really exciting thriller book with a lot of things in it. I did enjoy it, but there were some things that felt forced and weren't resolved...

Book released 2nd February 2016 by Lyrical Press

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.

Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Okay, let me admit something. I did not buy into the hype for this novel. A lot - a lot - of people have been raving about this but I've never really been into the whole Sherlock Holmes thing so I never thought I would request it. Then I saw a review saying it is a brilliant book even if you aren't a Sherlock fan and I thought I'd give it a go. 

I enjoyed this book infitisimal amounts more than I ever imagined I would. A Study in Charotte is tense, witty, tough and subtle in all the right ways. I thought Jamie was such a brilliant character to read about - his point of view made this book all the more enjoyable. He isn't a super tough main character though, at times he is wimpy. Like in the real Sherlock Holmes books, he comes in and saves the day numerous times and he is the common sense in the whole plan. The real main character in this book is Charlotte Holmes though - drug taking, chain smoking Charlotte Holmes who was nothing like I imagines. She is tough, but closed off. She had things happen to her before she came to Sherrington that makes her a bit damaged and I loved it. The whole relationship between her and Jamie was lovely but it was also so subtle that it doesn't take over the main mystery aspect of the whole book.

The mystery was so brilliant as well. So well executed and I was guessing the whole way through - who was the Sherrington murderer and why are they trying to frame Charlotte for it. The ending seemed so well thought through - the motive was there and I hadn't guessed the culprit but it also didn't seem forced - the signs were there through the whole book.

If I had but one gripe with this book it's that Charlotte's addiction to drugs was dealt with so badly - or more, it wasn't dealt with at all. It seems like such a big plot point that went completely ignored and I felt like this could have added a bit more depth into this book. It's the only thing that was slightly lacking.

Overall, A Study in Charlotte was a brilliant take on the Sherlock universe, where Sherlock and Holmes were real and so are their ancestors. You don't need to know that much about them though, because Charlotte and Jamie's story speaks for itself, and it does so with an amazing voice. Wow.

Book released 1st March 2016 by Katherine Tegan Books

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Review: Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.

Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.

With a gorgeous cover, a brilliant premise and a fantastic setting, Assassin's Heart could have been so much. It was, in fact, a good book, but I would not say it was as great as it could have been.

This book is like Romeo and Juliet mixed with Throne of Glass, without the power of either book. There is murder, intrigue, romance and action but in the way that I never felt fully absorbed into Lea's story. The thing is, I felt like Lea was one main problem in this book - Ahiers works so hard to make her a powerful, tough main character - she kills guiltlessly, feeling that it is her calling and that she is doing it for the good of her people and her religion - because of this, I think she became a bit of a flat character. When her Family is killed Ahiers tells us that Lea is angry, but I never really felt that fury, or saw the desolation. 

For this reason, it felt forced when we were made to think that Lea had feelings. When she meets Les and begins to develop feelings for him, it felt more like a plot device than a natural development. With Val, it seems okay because her feelings for him stem from desire and the need to feel loved more than anything else. Les is supposed to be real love - that was the difference.

I did love the fantasy elements in this book though. The lore is gorgeous and the ghosts are terrifying. I did feel that the event that happened at 70% was a cheap cop out though - using that religion as a deus ex machina to keep the story going in dire straits was a bit of an anti-climax and from there the rest of the book was a bit rushed... like Ahiers couldn't see the way out and just decided to end it, hence the rushed scenes at the Da Via's manor.

Overall, Assassin's Heart was a rich book with great fantasy, but the pace was very slow at times and the ending and the main character fell a bit flat for me...

Book released 2nd February 2016 by HarperTeen

Book received from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review

Review: Are You Still There by Sarah Lynn Scheerger

After her high school is rocked by an anonymous bomb threat, "perfect student" Gabriella Mallory is recruited to work on a secret crisis helpline that may help uncover the would-be bomber's identity.

Gabriella Mallory, AP student and perfect-daughter-in-training, stands barefoot on a public toilet for three hours while her school is on lockdown. Someone has planted a bomb and she is hiding. The bomb is defused but the would-be-bomber is still at large. And everyone at Central High School is a suspect. The school starts a top-secret crisis help line and Gabi is invited to join. When she does, she is drawn into a suspenseful game of cat and mouse with the bomber, who has unfinished business. He leaves threatening notes on campus. He makes threatening calls to the help line. And then he begins targeting Gabi directly. Is it because her father is the lead police detective on the case? Is the bomber one of her new friends. Could it be her new boyfriend with his complicated past? As the story unfolds, Gabi knows she is somehow connected to the bomber. Even worse she is part of his plan. Can Gabi reach out and stop him? Or will she be too late?

When the first chapter of a book focuses on a girl trapped in a toilet whilst the whole school is on lock-down because of a genuine bomb threat, you expect the rest of that book to be just as exhilarating. In fact, if the first few pages hadn't been so darned good I may have taken this book as what it was probably meant to be - a simple attempt at looking at the perpetrators of school massacres, and the other students who are indirectly affected. Instead, I saw this book as shallow, without plot and somewhat underwhelming.

Are You Still There was a book I couldn't wait to get into when I first got it and stupidly I thought I had already posted my review before now. (I hadn't). I read it over a day, and whilst I enjoyed it, I couldn't help but feel very let down. This book wasn't thrilling  - it had mystery which was covered up by the attempted romance - it just fell flat. The characters fell flat. The plot fell flat. The ending though - the big reveal - was the worst let down.

(Stop reading now if you want to avoid spoilers for the ending)

What is the point of building up all of the mystery if the perpetrator in the end is some guy who was mentioned in passing once and never a suspect. The joy of mystery thriller books is having suspects and thiking of their motives and guessing towards the end but still second guessing yourself! I didn't get that with this book.

As much as I enjoyed reading Stranger's little monologues, they got boring rather than creepy after a while and I never felt like this book was putting across the message it intended. Bullying is bad, it results in school bombings? If you want to find out who is at fault, put kids in charge? If you get given tips, don't tell the relevant authorities?

Why do so many YA characters take it on themselves to solve violent crime? Does anyone actually do this?

Book released 1st September 2015 by Albert Whitman

Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review